


Southpaw

by melodramatic



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Josh isn't to say the least, M/M, Past Abuse (mentioned), Semi-Public Sex, Smut, Tyler is conflicted, boxing au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-25 01:44:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10754148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodramatic/pseuds/melodramatic
Summary: Tyler was born and raised in California. His life was dreary, menial, and the only constant he had was the tape that he used to wrap his hands with before boxing.It was only when his sister invited him out to Ohio with her, that things began to change.





	1. Chapter 1

Rain or shine, Tyler Joseph would wake up every other morning at 5am to start his exercise routine. The streets of San Francisco were windy, the hills were discouraging, which is why there were so many gyms in the city. 

No one ran on the actual streets. There was hardly a flat surface.

Which is why Tyler quickly became _that kid_ who ran down Lombard and 4th, not at all daunted by the windy streets. 

He'd even get recognized by the people he'd serve at _Lou & Mickey's_ diner. 

"Hey, you're that kid who runs down Lombard, right?" They'd ask.

"Yup," Tyler would reply with a smirk on his face, "That's me."

Which would inevitably lead into a conversation of his fitness routine. Running at 5, work at 6, and then he'd box for at least two hours afterword, and finally head home.

The patrons were typically a mix of shock and impressed, they'd compliment Tyler, and then he'd thank them, letting them know he'd be back with their food in a minute. 

It was a humble existance. A meaningless one that made him miserable, but a humble existance. Although the city was glorious in it's own ways, it brought him heartache in the form of boyfriends, the form of friends, and the form of stress. 

The one person that he had moved here for abandoned him after a particularly physically (and emotionally) hurtful night, leaving Tyler with a heart as empty as his eyes. 

And to this day, it haunted each step he took, and attacked him at night when his mind was open and ready for the taking.

He tried not to let it his mind be ready for the taking.

So he kept himself busy, and he kept himself tough, throwing punches at punching bags as often as he could. He'd take his anger out on the inanimate objects, and because of his slim figure he was constantly being underrated by the newcomers at his gym.

They'd get in the ring and put on a confident smirk when they saw Tyler.

Tyler might not've been big, but he was smart.

He dodged well, his feet were quicker than his thoughts, and he packed a surpringly hard punch. 

His opponenets were startled, and by the time they figured him out, it was too late: the coach was calling the match off from where he had been watching, and Tyler's opponent left the ring with a frustrated grimace.

As always, Tyler was victorious.

He got home from the gym one night and kicked his feet up on his coffee table as he settled into his couch with a deep sigh.

He flicked on the TV, but nothing but static came on: right. He hadn't payed the cable bill yet. 

And it probably wasn't going to get paid for awhile.

Tyler only had one roomate, and that roomate was unreliable to the very definition. Rent was outrageous in San Francisco, and living conditions were not ideal. Especially when those living conditions entailed spending upwards of $5,000 on rent and utilies a month.

Tyler sighed again and sat forward, looking at the mass of unpaid bills on their coffee table.

"Steven!" He called out, wondering if his roomate was home. 

No answer.

He pulled out his phone and clicked the contact information.

The phone rang six times, before a mechanic voice began speaking.

_The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. To leave a recording, wait for the tone. When you have finished recording you may hang up, or press one for more options._

"Hey, Steven it's me," Tyler said, rubbing at his eyes, "I need your half of the rent by tomorrow. And don't ask me for help, you know I can't do it. Just have the money by tomorrow. Please."

He hung up, and then groaned in frustration, putting his face in his hands. He let himself sit there for a few minutes until his mind went blank. Right before he stood up and headed to the kitchen, his phone rang from where it sat on the coffee table.

He snapped his attention towards it, but only sighed when he realized it was his sister.

"Hey, Madison," He greeted.

"Hey, Ty. Is everything okay?" She asked.

"'Course. Why?"

"You sound tired."

Tyler ran a hand over his face and internally groaned, "I am tired."

His sister sighed, "Didn't I tell you that city would wear on you? The cost of living over there is so high it's almost not even worth it."

"The city is fine, Madison. It's my freaking roommate. If he could just pay his share of the rent on time, it wouldn't be that bad." And although that wasn't entirely a lie, it also wasn't entirely the truth. His roommate made things harder, yes, but even in general, San Francisco was expensive.

"You really should come live with me in Ohio."

Tyler scoffed, "Ohio? Never in a million years."

"Why not? I rent a one bedroom here, _by myself_. It's way cheaper, and way prettier."

"How much cheaper?" Tyler mused.

"My rent is just over a thousand a month."

Tyler choked on his own spit, and had to pause for a second, "One thousand? Human dollars?"

Madison chuckled, "No, monkey dollars. Yes, of course one thousand human dollars. I told you, it's cheaper. Way cheaper."

Tyler hummed in thought, "How are the gyms over there?"

"They're not bad. Nothing to write home about. There's one downtown that also has a boxing gym in the back of it."

"Really?" Tyler raised an eyebrow. Now he was interested.

"Yeah, really. Think about it, Ty. It's so much more relaxing down here. You've lived in the city long enough," Madison said, her voice sincere. 

Tyler huffed a breath and looked down at the coffee table where his bills slowly but surely piled up, "Yeah, I'll think about it."

"Good. Now let me tell you about this huge douche-bag that I work with."

Tyler kicked his feet up on the table and laid back, listening to his sister ramble on into the phone. He half listened to her, and half thought of what it would be like to move to Ohio.

He wouldn't ever have to worry about his roommate being unreliable, especially if it was his sister. Maybe it'd be nice.

Tyler smiled to himself. 

 _Yeah_ , He thought, _Maybe a change of pace would be nice._

....

Four months later, Tyler was packing his last bag.

"Need help?" Steven asked, popping into Tyler's room.

He shook his head, "I'm already done." 

Only a few hours, and he wouldn't have to deal with this man anymore. Steven wasn't a bad guy, really. He was nice enough and he listened to Tyler when he went on his rants, but their friendship didn't go much farther than that. Neither of them bothered to get to know the other better, and that was fine by him.

Either way, Steven pursed his lips and headed back out of Tyler's room, into his kitchen. 

Tyler sighed and zipped up his suitcase, and then used his phone to call an Uber, setting his destination to the airport. 

He rolled both of the cases down the stairs to their apartment, and waved one last goodbye to Steven.

The air outside was cold (it was always cold), and the sky was cloudy enough just to make you suspect rain, but everyone knew it wasn't actually going to rain.

Tyler wondered what the weather was like in Ohio. Sunny, probably.

The ride to the airport was mostly silent, as Tyler had his earbuds in the entire time, listening to the kind of music that allowed you to shut your brain off and simply enjoy the words written by someone else.

His flight ended up being delayed, but only by one hour, so it was okay. 

Nine very long hours later, Tyler arrived at the Cleveland airport with a tingling in his feet and an ache in the back of his legs.

"Tyler!" He heard from somewhere behind him. He spun around and saw his sister running towards him, and then wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Madison!" He exclaimed right back, letting out a chuckle as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Wow, you're actually here! In the flesh!" She said, pulling back.

Tyler quirked an eyebrow, "Um, yeah, that's kind of how it works."

She shoved his shoulder, "Shut up, you know what I mean."

He laughed at her, she laughed with him, and offered to take one bag as she lead him to her car. The entire ride home consisted of quick details about the small town she lived in, her weird neighbors, and then another story about the asshole she worked with just because she could.

And two hours later, Madison was helping Tyler unload his bags, as she showed him to his new room.

"I had kind of been using it as a guest room, but you can have it," She said, setting one of his bags down on the bed with a groan.

"Guests?" Tyler asked, placing his other bag by the foot of the bed, "What kind of guests have you been having?"

She shrugged, "Y'know. Friends and stuff."

"Just friends?"

Madison rolled her eyes, "Yes, Ty, _just friends._ C'mon, you know me better than that."

He shrugged, "I know. Just making sure."

She scoffed and crossed her arms, "Whatever. Anyways, you can decorate if you want. I don't really care. Tomorrow you can use my car to head downtown and find a job, if you want. I don't have work, so I'll just be around the house for most of the day."

Tyler sighed and looked at all of the things he still had to unpack, "Alright. Maybe I'll just apply online for now."

She pursed her lips and nodded, "Okay." She looked at his bags for a second before yawning, "I'm gonna go to bed. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, you too."

The door was halfway closed when he stopped in his tracks.

"Wait - Madison!"

She popped back in and raised an eyebrow.

"Where's the gym? Specifically, the boxing gym?"

"It's all one building. I'll show you tomorrow. Night, Ty."

"Night, Madi."

Deciding that there was no way he was going to get any packing done that night, Tyler sinply shoved the bags to the side and laid down in his new, (far more comfortable) bed.

He fell asleep faster that night than he had any other.

....

The next morning, Tyler was tired. He unpacked his bags with heavy arms, and bags under his eyes. He had a good night's sleep, but the worries of his life in the city still weighed over him.

He felt like he had something more pressing to do, to worry about.

His fingers twitched with something to get done. As if he still needed to be rushing around, getting a mere four hours of sleep each night, and spending his entire day worrying about expenses, and about not letting his gaurd down.

He sighed and stopped folding a shirt half-way through, and changed into his workout clothes, grabbing his gym bag and heading into the living room.

"Madi?" He asked, plopping down on the sofa next to her.

She hummed without turning her attention away from the TV.

"Can you show me where the gym is?"

She looked at him inquisitively, "Already? You don't wanna settle in before you start working out again?"

Tyler shook his head, "No, not really."

Her gaze stayed focused on him for a few more seconds as if she were expecting him to say something else, but after Tyler continued to stay silent, she sighed and got up from the couch.

"Alright. Let's go, then."

They both got up from the couch, and Tyler was delighted to find that the gym was a five minute drive - no more than a fifteen minute walk. Perfect.

 She dropped him off and he thanked her, letting her know that he would most likely walk home. 

He entered the gym and immediately went to the reception desk, signing himself up for a premium membership, which included the regular gym, the boxing gym in the back, and the indoor swimming pool right beside it.

Tyler was impressed. He never had an indoor swimming pool back in San Francisco.

Nevertheless, he moved towards the back, setting his things in a locker, and taping his hands up, in preperation of hitting something.

There were only a few other people that were in the space with him - one of them was a man that had to be about the same height as Tyler. Another one of them was a relatively tall man - lanky, but tall, but it was really the last man the caught Tyler's attention.

He was all the way in the corner of the room, pounding away on a punching bag as if it were an enemy. He had bright red hair, and - wow, he was fit. His large build almost made Tyler feel self-conscious about his own body.

Almost.

Tyler moved toward one of the large punching bags on the opposite side of the room that the red-haired man was on, and for a second the man paused his incessant punching and made eye contact with Tyler. His eyes flicked from Tyler's feet to his face, and then he gave him a friendly nod.

Tyler reciprocated the action, focusing his energy on the target in front of him and delivering a few blows.

He jabbed a few times with his right, and then hit hard with his left, practicing the same technique over and over again. It was his favorite technique to use, because nobody ever expected it. It had taken him awhile to perfect, and he even still had trouble keeping it 100% consistent, but it was a good technique, nonetheless.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the man with bright red hair moving towards the water fountain, which was relatively close to Tyler. He filled up his water bottle and then took two large gulps, turning subtly to watch Tyler jab at the punching bag.

Tyler delivered one last hard punch with his left hand and then paused, taking a step back to stretch his arms above his head.

"A southpaw, huh?"

Tyler turned his head to the side. He hadn't even noticed the man had moved closer, so that he was leaning on the wall Tyler was adjacent to.

"Uh, yeah. For the most part," Tyler responded, taking a deep breath, and looking at the man. Sweat sheened his body, making every single curve of his mucle that much more obvious, and his bright red hair was matted to his forehead. 

Fuck, that man was hot.

He nodded, "How long have you been boxing for?"

Tyler shrugged, "Just a few years now. You?"

"This'll be my fifth year, come summer. I've only ever met a few southpaws before, though," The man looked towards the ring in the center of the gym that wasn't currently in use, "Wanna start a match?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Well, yeah. I'd like to see what you can do," The man smirked, and something told Tyler that he wasn't just referring to the ring. 

Nevertheless, Tyler shrugged, "Sure, I'm down."

"Cool," The man grinned largely, and they both got on the proper gear and met each other in the ring.

"Now, don't actually try to knock me out," The man stated, "This is just for fun."

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I know how practice works."

The other man simply chuckled as he put his fists up to block as Tyler charged at him, swinging right twice, and then left once. And just when the other man thought he had Tyler's technique pinned down, Tyler switched it up, jabbing with his left once, and then hitting forecefully with his right.

The other man backed up with wide eyes, "Woah."

Tyler simply smirked as he charged back at him, but this time the man was prepared. He blocked once, and then swung hard with his right, barely missing Tyler's jaw.

They continued evenly matched for awhile, the other two men in the gym had paused their activities to watch, until Tyler finally decked the other man squarely on the side of his face, and they both decided to take a break.

"You're really good," The man said as he held the barrier up for Tyler to duck under and out, and he followed closely behind him.

"Thanks," Tyler said, picking his water bottle up and taking a long gulp, "You weren't so bad yourself."

The man chuckled, "Thanks." He picked his water bottle up as well, and took a few sips.

"I'm Josh, by the way," He said, pinning a glove between his arm and ribcage to take it off, and then reaching his hand out to shake Tyler's hand.

Tyler did the same, "I'm Tyler. Where'd you learn to box?"

"Right here."

"This gym?"

"Ohio."

"Ah," Tyler said, taking another gulp from his water, "Born and raised here?"

Josh nodded, "Yup. You?"

Tyler shook his head, "'m from California. This is my first full day here, actually."

"Your first day and you're at the gym?" Josh asked, shocked.

"Gotta relieve stress somehow," Tyler said, looking over at the opposite wall. The two men had gone back to their activities. Every few seconds, one of the men turned his attention to Tyler and Josh.

Tyler was too uninterested to wonder why.

"Y'know, there are other ways to relieve stress, actually."

Tyler turned his head back to Josh, who broke their small silence.

"Huh?"

"Y'know, like. Making music, drawing."

Tyler raised an eyebrow.

"Orgasms. Stuff like that."

It was one, two, three seconds of solid eye contact before Tyler burst out laughing so hard, he had to clutch his stomach as he bent over.

Josh was giggling too at this point, simply because Tyler's laugh was so contagious.

"So is that what you come to the gym for? Just to look for a smash?" Tyler asked, his face beet-red.

Josh's face contorted, "A smash? What's that?"

Oh, right. He wasn't in Califnornia anymore.

"Oh, in California a smash is someone you have sex with. Like, a booty-call or something."

"Ah," Josh said, thinking for a moment, "Well, no, I suppose I don't come to the gym looking for a _smash_ ," He said, putting extra emphasis on the word, "But if I run into an extremely attractive man who also likes to box, I'm definitely not going to pass up the opportunity."

Tyler rolled his eyes, not wanting to admit that he was actually tempted, "Right. Well," Tyler patted Josh on the arm and headed towards the locker room, "A shame you'll have to keep looking then, isn't it?" He continued walking right pass Josh, only shooting him a second glance right as he entered the room, and Josh's eyes flicked up from where they had been trained on Tyler's ass.

When he got caught, his cheeks got slightly red, pulling another laugh from Tyler.

He took a shower and got dressed, and on his way out of the gym, he waved at Josh, who waved back with a friendly smile. Although the man was most likely dissapointed that Tyler didn't want to go back to his place right then and there, he was still friendly and didn't at all seem put-off.

Tyler had to admit that he liked that. A lot.

He took a deep breath when he got out of the gym. The weather outside was chilly, but his body heat was still up and running from his workout, so he had no problem in just a tank top. 

On the walk home, he briefly mused what it would have been like if he had allowed Josh to help him "relieve stress."

It probably would've been good. Josh had large muscles, and a naturally larger build than Tyler. He could probably manhandle him. 

Tyler blinked rapidly and cleared the thoughts from his head. The absolute last thing he moved to Ohio for was to get into a relationship. Casual or not. He wasn't up for it.

That was what he told himself, anyway.

Tyler let out a deep sigh and put in his earbuds for the rest of the walk.


	2. Chapter 2

Tyler bit his fingernails with one hand, and applied for jobs online with the other. There was still a knot in his gut with worry - he worried too much, he knew that. But it was hard not to. Especially when there were bills, responsibilites, and unwanted memories hanging over his head.

It was easier living with his sister, and he couldn't be more grateful. But the two weeks that had passed so far didn't do much to ease the regular anxieties of life that weighed over him like a dark cloud every single day.

He sighed and put his hand down into his lap. He needed to relax. Everything was going to be okay. There wasn't much he had to worry about anymore.

Hardly a minute had passed by before he subconsciously put his fingers right back into his mouth.

"That's a pretty bad habit, y'know," His sister said from somewhere behind him.

Tyler turned to the side, where his sister was coming from the hallway, still running a comb through her hair.

"I know," He mumbled, making no motion to stop.

"Are you nervous?" She asked, plopping down onto the couch next to him.

He wasn't sure what she was referring to, but he shrugged nonetheless.

When he didn't say anything else, and continued clicking away on his laptop, she turned fully towards him.

" _He_ hasn't been trying to get in contact with you again, has he?"

Tyler didn't need her to state a name to know who she was talking about.

"No, Madison. I stopped talking to him the last time he kicked me out. You know that."

She sighed, "I know. I still feel really bad about that."

He put his hand down in his lap and turned towards her, "You? Why?"

She shrugged, "I feel bad that I couldn't see the signs earlier."

Tyler maintained eye contact, but was silent.

"That he was... y'know."

Again, Tyler said nothing.

"Abusive."

He sighed and turned his attention back to his laptop.

"Ty-"

"I don't wanna talk about it, Madi."

She put a comforting hand on his forearm, "You really should talk to someone, though. Like, a professional."

"What're they gonna tell me? That I fucked up? That he fucked up? That it shouldn't stress me out anymore, even though it does?" He snapped, raising his voice, "That I should just 'let it go' or some stupid shit like that?"

As always, his sister listened to him with endearing eyes, and let him raise his voice at her without flinching. She knew as well as he did that no one else knew about the previous relationship - no one but her and their parents. His other siblings knew as well, but he wasn't as close with any of them as he was with Madison.

So, she let him shout, knowing he meant no harm. Knowing he was only shouting because of the memories that still lived in his head - the memories of broken glass being dragged across his skin and leaving a nasty scar. Memories that he couldn't do anything about then, and still can't do anything about now.

"I don't know what they would tell you. But maybe they'd help," She said, her voice soft and completely opposite of Tyler's.

Tyler turned his attention back to his laptop, "I don't need help. I'm fine." His voice was quieter now, and he didn't turn his head when Madison got up and told him she'd be back from work around six.

He sighed deeply as she shut the living room door. He brought his fingers right back up to his mouth, chewing incessantly. A few more job applications later, and he pulled his hand back from his mouth, letting out a frustrated groan when he realized one of his hangnails had started bleeding. 

He shut his laptop forcefully, and retrieved a bandaid from the hallway closet, deciding then and there that he needed to take his mind off of everything. 

He packed his gym bag quickly and changed into his workout clothes, vaguely wondering if he would see Josh today.

And he did.

Except he was behind the reception desk, not in the back.

"You work here?" Tyler asked, signing in.

Josh nodded, "Yup."

"Isn't there some sort of rule against flirting with the customers?"

Josh's grin was so big it almost split his face, "Nope," He said, popping the 'p'.

Tyler chuckled, "Alrighty, then." He put the pen down on the log book and made to walk away, when Josh called his name.

He turned around with a raised eyebrow.

"You boxing today?" He asked.

Tyler nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

"Just," He flicked his eyes towards the boxing room, "Be careful. There's some pretty rude guys back there."

Tyler simply shrugged, "I can handle myself."

Josh hummed and looked Tyler up and down, "Well, I have no doubt about that."

Tyler laughed and let his cheeks turn a rosy pink as he said no more and headed into the boxing gym locker room. He had been hitting the gym almost every day since he had moved to Ohio, and seeing Josh was definitely one of the best parts of his trip. Not that he would ever admit it to the boy, but it was a nice thought.

The gym was a bit more full, maybe because it was a weekday, but it was still spacious enough for Tyler to practice uninterrupted. 

So he laced himself up and started off with the jump rope this time, counting himself to 50, before he paused to take a drink of water, and then counting 50 more. He put the jump rope down and headed over towards he nearest punching bag, practicing his usual technique.

He smirked when he thought of what Josh called him.

_A southpaw, huh?_

The sentence floated around in Tyler's head and made him chuckle, throwing off the intensity of his punches.

Tyler had his earbuds in, blasting music that simply fueled the anger that already rested in his heart. His smirk faded quickly when he remembered the conversation with his sister earlier. 

He was angry at himself, he was angry at _him_ , and he was angry at San Francisco.

So he didn't care that he grunted loudly when he delivered particularly strong blows, and he didn't care when people turned their attention towards him for only a second, before they would go back to their routines.

There was one man - the same man Tyler had seen yesterday that turned his attention towards Tyler every once in awhile. He was with another man, and they were either friends or family. Tyler did not know and did not care.

He angled a kick at the punching bag, and groaned when one of his earbuds fell out, throwing off his entire vibe.

Just before he was about to put it back in, two more men walked out of the locker room in full-on boxing gear. Tyler vaguely wondered if those were the two that Josh warned him against.

They seemed like regular guys, though, so Tyler didn't think anything of it as he put his earbud back in and turned his music up, angling another kick at the punching bag, before going back to punching at it relentlessly. 

Just when he was going to head back to his jumprope and end his workout, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around and took his earbuds out, realizing that it was the same two men he had seen from across the gym that shot looks at him every once in awhile.

"How long you been boxin' for?" One of the men asked, his hands on his hips.

Tyler was immediately put-off by the man's demeanor.

"Not long. A few years. Why?"

"You got a real interesting way of punchin', I was telling my brother," He pointed at the man beside him, "Care to box in the ring?"

Tyler looked between the two men. There was something off about them. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't like it.

But Tyler Joseph was never one to turn down a fight.

"Sure," He said, strapping the proper gear on and heading into the ring where the other man was already waiting for him.

"Street rules, alright?" The man said.

Tyler paused, "Wait, what?"

But before he got a chance to clarify, the man was already charging at him, cocking his arm so that his elbow hit Tyler square in the center of his face.

Caught off gaurd, Tyler stumbled back and blinked a few times, his vision going fuzzy before him. He brought his hand up to his nose, not getting the chance to tell the man to stop, before he kicked Tyler hard right above his groin, sending him flying to the ground. His head bounced a bit from where it hit the ground, and he saw black spots start gathering in the corner of his eyes.

But he didn't stop there.

The man got on his knees - one on either side of Tyler, and Tyler simply brought his arms up to form an 'X' over his face to block any other illegal shots.

Inbetween blows, Tyler brought his knees up to his chest and kicked up, throwing the man off of him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He shouted, scrambling to get up. 

"Don't be such a pussy. I said street rules, didn't I?"

"I didn't fucking agree to street rules!" Tyler shouted. He brought his glove back up to his face and brought it back, letting his vision focus before he realized there was blood all over his mit.

Without another word, he hopped out of the ring, heading straight to the locker room. 

All he could think about while holding several paper towels over his nose and leaning his head back was how badly he wanted to go right back into the room and pound that man's face into the ground until he couldn't see anymore.

He grit his teeth. He had to calm himself down. He _had_ to. 

He would not stoop down to their level. Oh, did he want to, but no he would not.

Somewhere in the back of his head, the word _concussion_ popped up, but his thoughts were far too scattered to focus on it. 

Deciding to take a shower when he got home, he packed his things and headed out of the gym, ignoring the cold stares from the men that had asked to fight with him in the first place. 

"Tyler?" He heard a voice ask as he was about to make his way past the reception desk.

He spun around on his heel and stumbled backwards, due to his sudden loss of balance. 

"Hey, Josh," He greeted, his voice muffled by the paper towel.

"What... what happened?" 

"Oh, I got hit."

"Huh?"

"I was... I was, um. Fighting. Yeah, in the ring. And my nose started bleeding," Tyler said, his voice getting lower and lower as the sentence went on. He was sleepy and naseous. Oh, he did not feel well.

Josh turned in his chair, looking back at the boxing gym.

"Wait, who were you fighting? Was it Eric?"

Tyler shrugged.

"What did he look like?"

Tyler thought hard for a moment, but couldn't produce an image of the man.

"I don't remember."

Josh raised an eyebrow, "You don't remember?"

Tyler shrugged, and then thought for another moment, and then shook his head. Josh looked back and forth between Tyler's eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Tyler nodded, "'m fine. Just tired."

And suddenly Josh looked worried, "Oh, no. He didn't give you a cuncussion, did he?"

Tyler looked up to the ceiling, but squeezed his eyes shut at the brightness of the lights, that felt like pins and needles in the back of his skull.

Josh stood up from his chair, "I think I should drive you to the hospital."

"No, no," Tyler protested as Josh waved one of his co-workers over, "I'm fine. I'm just gonna go home."

"Tyler, you could be seriously injured," Josh said.

His co-worker came over, and Josh asked him to cover him for a little bit while he took Tyler to the hospital. The man nodded, and didn't bat an eyelash. Tyler wondered if this was a frequent occurance.

"C'mon, let's go," Josh said, gently grabbing the back of Tyler's elbow as he guided him to his car.

"I really don't need a doctor, Josh. I'm fine. Perfectly... lucid. Perfectly lucid," Tyler insisited, even though he let Josh guide them to his car.

"Well, still. It'd probably be best if we just made sure."

Tyler groaned inwardly, really just wanting to go home and lay down. But, he knew he felt a little bit off, and his sister would've probably done the exact same thing that Josh was doing when she got home, so he figured it was better to get it out of the way now.

Tyler put his head back against the headrest as he plopped down into the passenger seat.

"Careful," Josh said, as he sat in the driver's seat, "Don't move too much."

He rolled his eyes in the opposite direction of the other boy, and took a deep breath, before letting his eyes flutter closed.

Josh placed a tight hand on Tyler's thigh, "Tyl-"

"Don't touch me there," Tyler snapped, as a memory of being held down by his thighs popped into his head.

Josh immediately pulled his hand away, putting it on the steering wheel, "Sorry. I'm sorry."

Tyler's head was fuzzy, and for some reason he felt like crying, "It's okay." He turned to face the window, and Josh didn't say anything else, only shot him a few sideways glances to make sure he was staying awake.

They got to the hospital and Josh kept a hand on the back of Tyler's shoulder blades, sitting down right beside him as theh waited for a nurse to call them back.

Tyler kept his gaze trained on the floor; Josh, the opposite wall. They were quiet. There simply wasn't much to say.

As Tyler's eyes fluttered close again, Josh placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, just enough to draw attention to himself.

Tyler looked up at him, and if his mind was more organized he was sure he'd be able to read the several expressions that rested behind Josh's eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Josh asked, his tone soft.

Tyler hated it. In any other circumstance, he would have loved the soft sound, but in this moment, he hated the fact that Josh felt he needed to PG himself for Tyler, as if he were a child.

"Fine," He said, his tone clipped. Tyler didn't know why he was suddenly so easily irritated. Maybe it was the throbbing in the back of his head, maybe it was the churning in the back of his stomach, maybe it was the tired ache in his bones.

He put his face in his hands, breathing deeply. 

This was _not_ how his day was supposed to go. He just wanted to relieve stress at the gym, and now here he was sitting in a hospital waiting room with a man he had merely met the other day.

Oh, right. Josh was here.

"Sorry," Tyler mumbled, not even sure if Josh heard him.

"It's okay. I'd be frustrated, too, if I were at the hospital."

Tyler slowly turned his head towards the boy.

"Well, I am at the hospital. I meant if I had a cuncussion."

He turned back, putting his face back in his hands.

Josh stopped talking, and Tyler could see his hand flinch from where it rested in his lap. He knew Josh simply wanted to comfort the boy, and Tyler felt horrible for rejecting any consolation from Josh.

"Tyler Joseph?"

They both looked up at the nurse who had just called the name. And immediately they stood, quickly making their way towards the back and into a private room.

It was two hours before they were able to leave.

The doctor performed simple, routine tests to determine the severity of Tyler's cuncussion. It wasn't anything too bad, so he simply prescribed him some over-the-counter pain relievers, and then told him to stay away from any exercise for at least 48 hours.

Tyler was dissapointed, but it wasn't like he had much of an option. So he nodded along with what the doctor was telling him, trying his best to pay apt attention.

"Make sure he gets plenty of rest," The doctor said, turning towards Josh.

"Don't worry, I will."

They left the emergency room, and Josh still had a firm hand placed on the back of Tyler's shoulder blades.

Before Josh took Tyler back to his house, he stopped at the drug store to fill the boy's medication for him.

"Thank you," Tyler mumbled, when Josh got back into the car.

"You're welcome."

When Tyler's eyes flutteres shut again, Josh didn't try to wake him up. Until they reached Tyler's house, of course. Josh helped Tyler from the car, and for once, Tyler didn't protest. 

"Thanks," Tyler said again, when Josh opened the door for him.

"Of course. Are you okay with being alone?" He asked.

Tyler nodded, "My sister should be home sometime soon, so. I'll be okay."

"Alright," Josh put his hands in his pockets, "Well - let me give you my number in case you need anything."

So they exchanged information, and Tyler promised he'd let him know if he needed anything. He assured Josh he'd be fine, for the third time.

"Hey, Josh?" Tyler spoke up, right as the boy turned to leave. He looked back with wide eyes.

Tyler's eyes flicked to the opposite wall, and then back at the boy with hair as bright as his eyes, "Thanks again. Sorry for being... kind of an ass."

Josh chuckled, "Don't worry about it, Tyler. You weren't being an ass. I'm just glad you're okay."

Tyler smiled, "Thanks. I'll text you, okay?"

"I look forward to it."

And like that, he was back in his car, headed somewhere Tyler wasn't.

Tyler sighed and carefully sat himself down on the couch, still trying to keep his eyes open. His fingers twitched for his phone. He wanted to call Josh - to tell him to turn his car right back around and get over here.

But instead he looked up at the ceiling, and blamed his odd thoughts on his concussion.

And when he finally fell asleep, his dreams did nothing to ease the nausea in his gut.


	3. Chapter 3

Tyler was fine. Of course he was fine, he was always fine. The dizziness and nausea had worm off by the time he woke, despite the fact that he still had a minor pain in the back of his head.

He bit his fingernails as he held his phone up to his ear speaking to a prospective employer. It was a small diner, similar to the one he had worked at in the city. He really did not want to go back to being a waiter, but he could worry about finding a better job later. For now, he just needed a job.

So he sighed as he hung up the phone, agreeing to show up for an interview the next day.

"You going to the gym today?" Madison asked, entering the kitchen right as Tyler decided to pour himself a bowl of cereal.

He shook his head, "Can't start working out again till tomorrow."

"Ah, right," She went to the fruit basket next to the refrigerator and pulled out an apple, "Wait." She said suddenly, stopping right before she went to bite it. 

Tyler looked at her and took a bite of his cereal.

"Are they going to kick out that guy who attacked you?"

He rolled his eyes, "He didn't attack me-"

"Tyler."

He met her eyes. There was a lot she wasn't going to say, but also didn't need to say.

So he sighed and put his bowl down on the counter.

"I don't know, Madison. I haven't been to the gym since."

"Well, you should talk to someone. Who's that guy whose always at the reception desk?" She asked.

Tyler shrugged.

"The one with red hair."

Tyler bit his lip to keep himself from smiling, and he picked his bowl back up, going into the living room and sitting on the couch, his sister following closely behind, "Um, I think his name is Josh."

She sat down next to him and squinted her eyes at him.

"What's that smile for?"

He cleared his throat, "What smile?"

And suddenly, as if Madison had some sort of revelation, her eyes opened wide, "You have a crush on the reception desk guy?!"

Tyler groaned and threw his head back, "No, I don't have a crush on the reception desk guy," He said, putting fingerquotes around the last few words.

"It's okay, I don't mind."

Tyler chuckled, "Gee, thanks, Madi."

She got up from the couch and ruffled his hair, laughing when Tyler swatted her hand away and turned the TV on.

Just as she left the room, Tyler's took out his phone and typed out a message, setting his cereal on the coffee table.

_(11:52) Tyler: hey :)_

Before he clicked send, he brought his hand up to his mouth and began biting his fingers. Was the emoticon too much?

Oh, goodness he really needed to calm down. He took a deep breath and clicked send, impressed by Josh's almost immediate response.

_(11:53) Josh: Tyler! How are you feeling??_

_(11:55) Tyler: i'm good. definitely feeling better_

_(11:56) Josh: Ready to come back to the gym?_

_(11:56) Tyler: well, not quite. Still can't exercise till tomorrow_

_(12:00) Josh: aw :( it's starting to get kind of lonely without seeing you around_

Tyler laughed aloud before typing the next text.

_(12:02) Tyler: i've only been gone for one day, Josh_

_(12:02) Josh: but still! I liked seeing you ;)_

Goodness, this boy was insufferable. But it brought a smile to Tyler's face, so he wasn't going to say anything against it. He also couldn't deny that he missed seeing Josh, as well. Just a little bit. 

Tyler clicked his phone screen off as his sister re-entered the room, this time changed out if her pajamas into regular clothes. 

"I'm gonna go hang out with some friends," She stated, tying her sneakers and heading for the front door, "I'll be back later tonight."

"Okay. Have fun," Tyler replied, giving her a small smile.

"Will do, brother. See you later," And then she was out of the door.

Tyler unlocked his phone and tapped his thumb on the side of it, slowly typing out the next message.

_(12:06) Tyler: you busy tonight?_

_(12:06) Josh: Nope. I had the early shift today, so I'm off at three_

_(12:09) Tyler: wanna come over?_

_(12:09) Josh: I'd love to :)_

So Josh promised to be there around five, giving himself plently of time to shower and get dressed before heading over.

Tyler bit his fingernails in anticipation as he watched the clock move slower than it ever had before. He didn't really know what he was so nervous about. 

Him and Josh were just friends, and when Josh came over, they'd do things that just friends did.

Right.

Tyler sighed and grumbled inwardly when a hangnail began bleeding, again. He could almost hear his sister in his head, telling him what a bad habit that was. 

He looked down at both of his hands and studied the pattern of skin on a few of his fingers that had become uneven due to his incessant chewing. 

In the back of his mind, he wondered if Josh would find it gross. In the front of his mind, he told himself he didn't care - he didn't invite Josh over to get his opinion on his fucked up habit, he invited Josh over for company and possibly something more. 

He just needed not to think.

So he took a shower and changed into a tight pair of jeans and a loose tank top. He decided to forego underwear altogether.

Finally, there was a knock at the door and Tyler swung it open, graciously inviting Josh inside. 

"How are you feeling?" Josh asked for the second time that day as he stepped into the threshold, putting his hands in his pockets.

Tyler shrugged, "I'm alright. Feeling a lot better."

"Not dizzy or nauseous anymore?" He asked as he followed Tyler to sit right next to him on the couch.

Tyler shook his head, "Nope. Perfectly fine."

"Okay, good," Josh breathed, "I was worried for a second."

Tyler looked down at the couch space between them, and then turned so that he was fully facing the other boy.

"Y'know, I was thinking..." Tyler started as Josh shifted his position so that he was also fully facing Tyler, "About what you said to me when we first met."

Josh squinted his eyes, trying to remember.

"About how orgasms are a good way to relieve stress."

He nodded along thoughtfully, and then opened his eyes wide, "Oh." He said, just as a smirk was beginning to form on his face.

"Would you like me to help you out with that?" Josh asked, already scooting himself forwards toward Tyler.

Tyler bit his lip and nodded.

And Josh didn't waste another second before he was crowding Tyler's space, and pressing their lips together - softly, at first. Neither of them did anything more for a second, until Josh placed a gentle hand on Tyler's back and pushed their bodies closer together, as Josh kissed him deeply and licked into his mouth, pulling a low moan from Tyler.

Tyler simply let Josh take control of the kiss, not wanting to spare another thought towards anything other than the way the other boy made him feel in this moment.

Josh's hand moved down only a little bit, the sudden hesitation in his thoughts obvious.

"You can touch me," Tyler whispered, pulling back just enough to get the words out.

"Are you sure?" Josh asked.

Tyler breathed hotly through his nose, "Yes, I'm sure. Please touch me, Josh."

Josh groaned low in his throat and brought both of his hands to tightly grasp Tyler's thighs, moving one of his hands to press down onto his length that had been growing in hardness.

Tyler made an embarassingly high-pitched noise and bucked his hips up, chasing the friction.

The boy pressed down again, harder, and the cold zipper against Tyler's cock made him even harder, and he feared he might come right then and there if Josh didn't stop.

As if he were reading Tyler's thoughts, he took his hand off and brought it to the hem of his shirt, pulling upwards and discinnecting their kiss for a second to pull it all the way over his head. Josh's hands roamed all over his chest, and Tyler sighed deeply, placing his hands on the either side of Josh's ass in a tight grip.

"Fuck, you're so hot," Josh mumbled as he started kissing down Tyler's neck. His fingers paused at a long scar that went up the right of Tyler's ribcage. He traced over it for a second before breaking off the kiss.

"What happened here?" He asked, looking down at the thick scar.

"Don't worry about it," Tyler insisted, leaning forward to suck a kiss at the base of Josh's neck.

"Looks like it hurt," Josh continued, despite his eyelashes fluttering at the feeling of Tyler licking all around the mark he had made.

But Tyler didn't say anything, and quickly tried to divert Josh's attention from the ugly scar that caused him great pain to think about.

Because when he thought of that scar, he thought everything else that came with that scar, and he _loathed_ the thoughts.

So he cupped a hand on the left of Josh's jaw and pulled him in for a hard kiss, reminding him of the task at hand.

Thankfully, Josh didn't ask or say anything else, he simply kissed Tyler hard back and brought his hand down from his chest to his pants and unbuckling them, taking his length in his hand and stroking it at an achingly slow pace.

"Josh, c'mon," Tyler pleaded breathily.

So the boy brought his palm up to his mouth and licked a flat stripe across it while making steady eye contact with Tyler, and then using the added lubrication to pump faster and faster.

Tyler groaned as he crashed his lips against Josh's, biting softly on his bottom lip, pulling a moan from him.

He carded one hand in the back of bright red hair, and yanked it back so that their lips parted.

"Your mouth - I want your mouth," He said, his speech beginning to slur.

"Yeah?" Josh asked, his hot breaths puffing over Tyler's face.

Tyler nodded, and then Josh got up from the couch and dropped to his knees, immediately pulling his pants down to his ankles and taking Tyler's cock into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the head.

"Oh, fuck," Tyler moaned loudly, throwing his head back. He tightened his grip in the other boy's hair and pushed him down further, until his nose was only an inch or so from Tyler's lower abdomen, as he swallowed hard around the length.

Josh moaned as he placed on hand on either of Tyler's thighs and spread them further apart, giving himself easier access to move his own body closer. He bobbed his head up and down, his eyes watering as Tyler hit the back of his throat - having to stop himself from gagging a few times.

"Josh," Tyler breathed, doing his best not to just grab a hold of Josh's head and fuck his face.

The boy looked up, his eyes glassy and his face blotchy, and - fuck, he was so hot.

"Oh my God," Tyler moaned, his hips involuntarily bucking up, causing Josh to cough around the length that was now burning the back of his throat.

But he was insistent on making this good for Tyler, so he swirled his tongue and then dragged it along the base of his cock, bring his lips up to suck at the head, and then back down to suck around the base.

"Oh - Josh, I'm gonna come - _fuck_ , I'm gonna come," Tyler warned, his fist tightening in the back of Josh's hair as his thighs trembled and he moaned loudly, breathing a few choked-off breaths as Josh sucked him dry, until he was popping off with an obscene noise.

Tyler breathed heavily and shut his eyes, not taking his hand from Josh's hair. And when he looked back down, the other boy was watching him, waiting patiently for Tyler to come back to his senses.

"C'mere," He mumbled, looping one arm around the back Josh's neck, and using his other to palm him through his jeans.

Josh moaned in his mouth, and then Tyler brought both of his hands to unbuckle his jeans and pull them down, pumping his aching cock until he was arching his back and coming right into Tyler's fist.

"That was hot," Josh admitted, his face hidden in the crook of Tyler's neck. His voice was absolutely raw and it sent butterflies up to Tyler's head.

He chuckled, "Yeah, it was."

Josh kissed up the side of Tyler's neck, and then connected their lips in a soft, and deep kiss that pulsed through their veins in a different way than their orgasms had.

"I have to clean this up before my sister gets home," Tyler thought aloud. 

Josh hummed, "I'll help you do that later. Let's just do this right now." And he pressed their lips back together, looping his arms around Tyler's neck, as Tyler has his hands pressed on Josh's lower back.

They were both sat on the couch tangled up in each other, kisses being passed back and forth in a slow, and meaningful way. It was so different than anything else Tyler had experienced. The kiss itself wasn't different, per se, but the _way_ Josh kissed him made his bones feel fuzzy and he knew it wasn't because of the injury he had endured the other day.

It was good, but it was unfamiliar. He wanted more, but he wanted less.

He pushed lightly at Josh's chest, and the boy frowned.

There were words he needed to say, but they were jumbled around in his head, not allowing him to form a proper sentence. He wanted Josh to stay, but he wasn't sure how to say that without contradicting so many promises he had made to himself. He could not let himself get hurt again.

Josh seemed so nice - maybe he was different.

But maybe he wasn't.

"You need to go," Were the words that Tyler ended up forming and spitting out. It sounded so much crueler aloud than it did in his thoughts.

Josh opened his mouth and closed it. He was confused.

"Oh," He breathed, "Okay." And with a furrow in his eyebrows, he got up from Tyler and pulled his pants back up.

"Wait, sorry, I didn't mean it like that-"

"No, it's okay," Josh shrugged, even though it was clearly not okay, "I understand. I'll see you later." He shot Tyler a friendly smile, but his eyes were clearly mixed with hurt and embarrassment. 

And Tyler wanted to fix it - he wanted to go back to the way the atmosphere was a mere few seconds ago, but it felt almost impossible at this point.

Before he even had a chance to do anything, Josh was closing the front door behind him and getting into his car, driving far from Tyler.

Tyler put his face in his hands and groaned loudly, wondering if there was anything in his life that he _couldn't_ fuck up.

 _Probably not_ , he thought to himself. But instead of dwelling on it, he got up and pulled his own pants back up, cleaning the mess they had made on the couch.

Once he was done with that, he laid down on his and shut his eyes, desperately trying to think of anything else besides the hurt look in Josh's eyes.

He was asleep before his sister came back home.

....

Tyler skipped the gym the next day. He used his interview as an excuse. He recieved a text from Josh, but did not reply. He still felt like an asshole.

....

It took every single ounce of will power in his veins, but Tyler dressed himself in his workout clothes and packed his gym bag, and walked himself to the gym with his head down.

There was a brown-haired man at the counter, and Tyler sighed as he signed in for the day.

It was only when he got out of the locker room that he noticed a bright red-haired man watching himself jumprope in the mirror that Tyler's heart skipped a beat. But the man didn't notice Tyler, and really he couldn't blame him.

So, for the time being, Tyler taped his fists up and began with the punching bag this time, switching between kicks and blows.

He let his mind go completely blank as he reveled in the burn of his overworked muscles. He jabbed right, right, right, and then delivered a power blow to the left, setting the punching bag swinging. 

His music was blaring in his ears and it distracted him from anything that his emotions did to torment him - the release was so good. Punching and kicking and taking out all of his anger of the inanimate object was just so relaxing, he couldn't remember why he was hesistant to come back in the first place.

Until he saw a head of bright red hair pass by him and head into the locker room.

Tyler knew he wouldn't get a better chance, so he immediately stopped his activity and and jogged his way into the locker room, taking a breath of relief when he realized it was only him and Josh.

"Josh," He called as the man was taking his headphones off.

He whipped around, "Oh, hey, Tyler." His foot took half a step forward before he stopped himself, clearly unsure if he was supposed to walk closer or not.

The action made Tyler sigh. He rubbed his hand over his face and made his way closer, not entirely sure what his plan was.

He must've been out of words, because he simply walked up to Josh and embraced him in a tight hug, not caring about the sweat that both of them had worked up.

Josh hugged him back, his lips right next to his ear.

"You alright?" He asked.

Tyler nodded, "Yeah. 'M just not very good with words, I guess."

He felt Josh chuckle, "That's alright."

"I feel bad about the other day," Tyler stated, pulling back, even though Josh still kept his hands on the small of his back.

Josh shook his head, "Don't feel bad, I know you weren't trying to be rude."

"Still," Tyler frowned, "I'm sorry." He met Josh's eyes, and they sparkled with an understanding that Tyler had a hard time believing was real.

"It's alright, Tyler," He leaned forward and kissed his forehead, "You're overthinking it. It wasn't that big of a deal. I still really like you."

Tyler raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

Josh smiled and kissed the boy on the nose, "Really. In fact," He flicked his eyes to the back of the locker room where the showers were, "I was wondering if you'd like to join me. In the showers."

"Here?! In the gym?" Tyler asked, slightly bewildered by Josh's question.

"Yeah, c'mon, it's not like there's anyone else in here right now," He said.

"Well, yeah, but-" Tyler stopped himself mid-sentence. He should do this. He at least owed that much to Josh.

"Alright."

Josh chuckled and stripped his clothes off, wrapping a towel around his waist as Tyler did the same, and they headed towards the showers. 

And Tyler was only slightly embarassed that he was already half-hard.

Josh turned the water on so that it wasn't too hot and wasn't too cold, and he whipped his towel off, throwing it so that it folded over the top of the shower wall. 

Tyler had hardly any time to do the same, before Josh was wrapping him in a tight embrace and kissing him fiercely, stepping back so that they were both right under the stream of the water.

Tyler let out a satisfied sigh and wrapped arms around Josh's neck, relinquishing control over to the boy who seemed far more sure of his actions at the moment.

Josh backed him up so that his back was pressed against the wall, and let his hands roam around Tyler's body, pulling a low moan from him when his hands brushed over his nipples and made Tyler shudder, despite everything being so warm.

The shower water beat hard against Josh's back as he began to leave a trail of kisses down Tyler's neck. With his left hand, he grabbed the back of Tyler's left thigh, bringing it up to wrap around his waist, his right hand sneaking around the cleft of Tyler's ass.

Although Tyler wasn't entirely sure what Josh was doing, he simply pulled him closer by his hair to bring him in for a wet kiss.

Suddenly, Josh was pushing a finger into Tyler's entrance, the ring of muscles tensing around his digit.

"Oh - _Josh_ ," Tyler breathed.

"This okay?" He asked, slipping his finger in further. Tyler nodded, his cock twitching in interest.

He thrusted the finger in and out slowly, and was about to insert a second finger, before they both paused at the sound of footsteps coming into the shower area. 

They looked at each other with equally wide eyes, as someone went into the shower right next to theirs and turned the water on.

Josh brought his lips to Tyler's ear, "Gotta be quiet, okay?"

Tyler nodded and bit down hard on his fist as Josh fully inserted his second finger, crooking just enough so that barely it missed the spot he had aimed for. 

Tyler threw his head back against the wall and had to keep himself from moaning as Josh inserted a third finger, and angled his shoulder so that he could get a better access at Tyler's prostate.

He thrusted his fingers in and out quickly, and on the third thrust, he nailed the spot head-on, causing Tyler to let out a muffled squeak.

They both turned their heads towards the thin shower wall that seperated them from the other man. He didn't seem phased, though, so he must not've heard. Good.

Josh thrust his fingers in and out relentlessly, hitting his prostate almost each and every time, making Tyler bite down on his fist so hard, he knew there were going to be marks.

"Fuck," Josh groaned lowly in Tyler's ear, his voice as quiet as it would allow him to be. 

Tyler brought his free hand down and began to stroke his cock faster and faster, until he was coming all over his fist, and Josh bit down on the side of Tyler's neck to stifle a groan.

Their lips crashed together for a sloppy kiss as Josh removed his fingers from inside of Tyler and used it to stroke himself until he was coming, as well, the white streaks getting mixed with the water, and then washing right down the drain.

Josh looked back up at Tyler, who was leaning against the wall with a euphoric smile spanning his face. Josh chuckled and kissed him softly on the lips, and then once on the underside of his jaw.

He grabbed some soap and washed himself, and then Tyler, the both of them biting their lips to keep from laughing too loud.

The man in the stall beside them still had his water running by the time Tyler and Josh shut off theirs, both wrapping their towels around their waists again, and sneaking from the shower area back to their lockers, both of them giddy with an odd mix of excitement and satisfaction.

"You have a ride home?" Josh asked as they were getting dressed. Tyler shook his head.

"I can take you, if you want."

Tyler looked around the locker room. The only other person there was in the shower, besides a man who was in the toilet stalls in the opposite side of the room.

"Yeah," He moved closer so that he was crowding Josh's space, "Or we can go to your place?"

Josh smirked and brushed fringe from Tyler's forehead, "Sounds good to me."

....

The moon was high in the sky, and neither Tyler nor Josh knew what time it was.

Josh was laying on Tyler's chest as they lazily made out, both of them burnt out from an entire day of being entertwined with each other every other second, but neither of them tired enough to actually separate. 

They pulled apart finally, and Josh looked him in the eyes, with an imploring look that kind of made Tyler want to cry for whatever reason.

"You wanna stay the night?" He asked.

Tyler chuckled and ran a hand up and down Josh's back, "Well would you drive me home if I said no?"

Josh bit his lip to try to stifle the smile that was growing, "I would. I'd do it begrudgingly, but I would."

Tyler laughed, his smile growing wide and showing his teeth, "Well, it's the thought that counts, I guess."

Josh laughed with him and kissed right beside his mouth, "So you'll stay?"

"Yeah," Tyler replied softly, wrapping his arms around Josh's torso and breathing deeply.

"Y'know, it's nice seeing you like this," Josh said, carding his hand through the front of Tyler's hair.

"Like what?" Tyler asked.

"So... relaxed. I don't think I've seen you bite your nails once today."

Tyler chuckled and fondly rolled his eyes, "Well, I'm sure the multiple orgasms has something to do with that." They had done almost everything that night - mouths were everywhere, hands touched everything - except for actual sex. Tyler steered Josh away from it every time he referenced it, wanting to wait until he was sure that giving himself to another person was something that he wanted.

Josh just smiled and kissed him sweetly on the mouth before reaching over to his bedside table and flicking the light off. He rolled off of Tyler so that they were laying side-by-side.

They were both facing each other, and then Josh brought his hand up to Tyler's chest, his fingers tracing the scar that rested there.

"Can I ask you something?"

Tyler was still smiling blissfully at Josh, "Yeah, 'course."

Josh gulped, "How did you get this scar?"

And suddenly Tyler was not smiling. Instead, he stared straight ahead at Josh, who kept his own eyes trained on the scar that he couldn't see in the dark, but he knew was there. 

"My fourth week in San Francisco," He wanted to elaborate, but couldn't.

"Did someone hurt you?" Josh asked, his tone quiet.

Tyler swallowed hard, and then nodded.

Josh placed his hand on the side of Tyler's face and stroked his thumb up and down his cheek. But Tyler wasn't finished.

"I - I moved in with someone. And-" He took a deep breath, realizing he had never told anybody who wasn't there when it happened about that time of his life. It was different, telling it from the beginning. "It started off nicely. But he just... he was so mean, Josh. And he drank a lot, too. But even when he was sober, he was _mean_."

Tyler's face contorted and his expression was a mix between unsettled anger and confusion. 

"I - it's embarassing. I'm sorry."

Josh pulled him closer, "Hey, it's not embarassing, Tyler, you have nothing to be embarassed about. It wasn't your fault, okay?"

Tyler met his eyes for no more than two seconds, before his gaze was dropping to the sheets again.

"I'm so sorry anyone ever hurt you," Josh continued just as quietly, tracing a pattern into Tyler's shoulder, "You deserve so much better than that. I wish-" Josh paused until Tyler looked back up at him.

"You wish what?" He asked.

Josh shook his head, "Nothing." He kissed the boy's forehead, "You know you're safe with me, right?"

Tyler nodded with only a slight hesitation, but the hesitation was just enough to put pins and needles in Josh's lungs. 

So he took a deep breath and told himself that he'd gain Tyler's trust with time, so that there wouldn't be one second of delay in his response.

"Goodnight, Tyler."

"Night, Josh."

And even though Tyler was fast asleep a mere few seconds later, Josh suddenly wasn't feeling very tired anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

"You sure have been spending a lot of time at Josh's lately," Madison said with a smirk on her face as she added a carton of milk to their cart.

It was a Sunday, and neither of them had work, so they both decided to do some grocery shopping together. Really, Tyler knew it was his sister's way of grilling him on his relationship with Josh, but he figured he at least owed her that much.

"Yup," He said, popping the 'p' as he looked at their grocery list. "We need more cereal."

"I thought we still had a whole box left?" She asked.

Tyler shook his head, "Nope. I ate it all."

Madison chuckled and shoved his shoulder as they headed down the cereal aisle.

"So, anyways, what's going on with you and Josh?" At this point, she wasn't even trying to be discreet.

"Nothing, really. He's just a cool guy," Tyler shrugged, biting back the smile that was threatening to form on his face.

She shot him an unconvinced look, "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really." Tyler grabbed two boxed of cereal from a shelf and then placed them in their cart.

"I don't believe you."

"What's not to believe?"

"I think you guys are more than friends, but you just don't wanna tell me."

Tyler chuckled, "There's just not much to tell. We just... enjoy each other's company."

Madison raised her eyebrow at him, and Tyler raised his hands in defense.

"If you're worried about him," He said, subconsciously picking at his fingernails, "You shouldn't be. He's different."

"That's what you said last time," His sister said before thinking.

Tyler paused in his tracks and shot her a look. She was immediately apologetic, regretting her choice of words.

"Well, you know what I mean, Ty."

He huffed out a breath and didn't reply.

"I'm just looking out for you."

Suddenly craving chocolate, Tyler added a few candy bars to the cart, and his sister didn't tell him to stop when he began chewing on his nails again. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out, smiling softly to himself at the contact.

_(1:02) Josh: how ya doing, sweet cheeks?_

Tyler rolled his eyes fondly.

_(1:02) Tyler: is that a new nickname?_

_(1:03) Josh: it is. I thought it suits you because your cheeks are sweet, if you know what i mean_

Tyler burst out in laughter, causing a few others in the store to turn their heads.

"What's so funny?" Madison asked.

He simply shrugged, "Nothing."

_(1:04) Tyler: you're ridiculous, josh dun_

 He pocketed his phone and answered his sister's question as to weather or not he had ever tried apple butter. He had not, so she added a jar of it to the cart.

Right as they stood in line for checkout, Tyler's phone buzzed again.

_(1:10) Josh: wanna box together today?_

Tyler furrowed his eyebrows as he typed out a response. 

_(1:10) Tyler: at the gym?_

_(1:11) Josh: no, at my house. i need to work on my form, and i was hoping you could give me some pointers_

_(1:11) Tyler: really?_

_(1:12) Josh: yeah, really. Will you come over?_

_(1:12) Tyler: of course ;) pick me up in an hour_

_(1:13) Josh: will do :)_

And suddenly Tyler was just a bit more excited to get out of the grocery store. He didn't tell his sister where he was going, but she didn't ask, which was perfectly fine with him.

"So what do you specifically want pointers on?" Tyler asked as the stood in Josh's backyard - Josh with boxing gloves on and Tyler with a large pad to catch his blows.

He shrugged, "Mostly how I punch. I've been told that my punches are weird, but no one ever tells me why."

Tyler hummed in the back of his throat and put his hands up in preperation as Josh readied his stance. He began punching hard into Tyler's mit, but not hard enough. He felt like there was something missing.

"You're holding back," Tyler said.

Josh groaned as if he already knew what Tyler was talking about. 

"I know. I-" He stopped punching and sighed, "I usually don't, when I'm fighting someone else. But. I don't wanna hurt you." He stated candidly, putting his hands by his side in a sheepish manner. 

Tyler's heart fluttered, but he steeled his gaze.

"You won't hurt me," He said.

Josh looked him steadily in the eyes. "Are you sure?"

There were a lot of things that Tyler wasn't sure of, but of this he could be certain.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Josh smirked to himself as he got back into a fighting stance. He hit with more force this time, even causing Tyler to stumble backwards at a few points.

Tyler let Josh punch at him for a good while, until the boy put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath, looking up towards the sky.

"You're good," Tyler said, taking the large pad off of his hands, "Really good, actually. I don't have many pointers to give you."

Josh looked down at him and smirked, "I know."

Tyler squinted his eyes, "What do you mean you know?"

Josh walked a few steps forward towards Tyler, and then shrugged.

"You didn't really need any pointers from me, did you?" Tyler asked, despite wrapping his arms around Josh's neck as the other boy did the same around his waist.

"Well, I could always use some guidance," He said, "But really I just wanted you here."

Tyler chuckled and rolled his eyes fondly, "You know you could just ask me to come over, right? You don't have to invent some sort of excuse."

"I know," Josh said, kissing behind his ear, "I just love getting you all sweaty and stuff."

Tyler laughed out loud and playfully pinched Josh's side, "You're such a weirdo."

Josh yelped and then laughed as well, "Yeah, but c'mon, you love it."

Suddenly Tyler was a bit more serious. He pulled Josh's hair back so that they were eye-to-eye. He kissed him sweetly on the lips, and Josh was still for a moment, before he began reciprocating the actions.

"Yeah, I do," Tyler responded in a low tone once they pulled apart. He kissed Josh right on the corner of his mouth. "Take me inside."

Josh responded immadiately, picking Tyler up by the backs of his thighs and dropping him lightly onto his bed.

He climbed up the bed and hovered over Tyler, kissing him deeply so that the back of his head was making an imprint into the mattress.

It was nice - nothing was rushed, neither of them were chasing the simple feeling of release. Rather, they were allowing steady hands to run up and down steadier bodies, and it was simply different than anything they had done before.

"Want you to fuck me," Tyler breathed inbetween kisses. Josh groaned deep in his throat and pulled Tyler's shirt up and over his head.

"Thought you'd never ask," Josh replied, causing Tyler to chuckle. 

Josh kissed down Tyler's neck, his lips coming back salty from the light sheen of sweat that had formed. Tyler let out a content sigh as Josh reached his pelvic bone and sucked a mark into the spot, even though he still had a mark there from a few days prior. Josh made it more prominent, and then unbuckled Tyler's pants, shooting him a look to make sure he was doing okay, and then pulled them down past his ankles, throwing them in a pile on the floor. 

Josh tugged his own shirt off, but stopped when he began to unbutton his pants. He sat there for a moment, his eyes tracing every single inch of skin on Tyler's body. 

Tyler looked up at him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing... I just..." Josh trailed off, bringing himself back up to bring their lips together again, relaxing Tyler back into the sheets, "You're fucking gorgeous."

A light heat spread throughout Tyler's chest, up to his neck and down to his fingertips, filling his entire body up with the sensation. He laced one hand in the back of Josh's hair, and another splayed out on his back, feeling the muscles relax.

"I wanna treat you right," Josh continued, kissing his cheek, then his jaw, and behind his ear, "I wanna give you things. Make you feel good."

Tyler let out a noise that was mixed somewhere between a moan and a whimper as Josh brought one hand down to Tyler's cock, palming him gently.

"Does that sound good?" Josh asked, bringing his face up to evaluate Tyler's expression.

Tyler nodded and subconsciously spread his legs father apart, "Y-yeah. I'd like that."

"Good," Josh said as he smiled and kissed the boy again, before reaching into his bedside and grabbing a bottle of lube, pouring a small amount onto a few of his fingers, and then spreading it all around his hand. 

Tyler's cock twitched just watching it.

He brought his hand down to Tyler's entrance and inserted one finger, then a second one almost immediately afterwards. Josh pumped them together and then scissored them, causing Tyler to let out a soft _'oh'_ as his toes curled. 

He had both of his arms splayed out above his head, biting down on his bicep as Josh inserted yet another finger. 

Tyler couldn't help but let a smile set on his face as Josh brushed right next to his most sensitive spot and he thought of Josh's words from earlier.

_"I wanna treat you right."_

Josh looked up from where he had been closely watching his fingers pump in and out.

"What're you so smiley about?" Josh asked, even though he was also smiling. 

Tyler propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at Josh, "You have your fingers up my ass and you're asking me why I'm smiling?"

Josh chuckled, "Geeze, I was just wondering. You're such a Southpaw sometimes."

Tyler laid himself back down and laughed out loud, reaching his arms forward and gesturing for Josh to come back up towards him.

And he did, even began to pump his fingers a bit faster as Tyler wrapped his arms around Josh's neck and kissed him passionately.

"Josh-" Tyler moaned as his fingers hit him right on his prostate. Josh continued pumping his fingers, going as deep as he possible could until Tyler was digging his heels into the mattress.

"Josh," He choked, "I-I don't wanna come yet."

And the other boy stopped his fingers almost immediately, pulling a whimper from Tyler as he slowly took his fingers out.

"I know," Josh said, kissing his forehead, "I just love seeing you like that. Fuck, you look so good." He kissed him on his nose and then his lips, pulling away to tear his pants and underwear off, throwing them in the pile of clothing on the side of the bed.

Tyler kept his arms sprawled out over his head, desperately trying to keep his hands from touching his cock. 

Josh reached into his nightstand, but before he could pull away with a condom, Tyler reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"I want to feel _you_ ," He said.

"Are you sure?" Josh asked, shutting the drawer and instead grabbing the small bottle of lube again.

"Yeah," Tyler breathed, pulling Josh down to kiss him again. "You are clean, right?"

Josh nodded, "Yeah, 'course. You?"

Tyler nodded back and bit his lip.

"Well, I guess it's settled, then," Josh said with a smirk.

Tyler chuckled and waited patiently as Josh coated himself with the lube and then lined himself up with Tyler's entrance, pushing the backs of his thighs so that his legs were up in the air.

He pushed himself in slowly and Tyler squeezed his eyes shut, his hands clutching onto a pillow behind him.

Josh met more resistance than he thought he would - Tyler was so tight, he heard the boy let out a whine before he was even fully bottomed out.

Josh stopped moving for a second, "You gotta relax, love. I don't want to hurt you."

Tyler sighed, "I know. 'M sorry."

Josh brought his lips down to plant a kiss on one of Tyler's knees, "It's okay. Just don't overthink it, alright?"

He nodded and let out a deep breath, and Josh could feel the ring of muscles around his cock loosed up a bit.

"Good," He praised, moving forward again, "Just like that. You feel so good, Ty."

Tyler moaned and clutched the sheets tightly as Josh bottomed out, then began moving himself back and forth - slowly at first, and then picking up the pace when Tyler seemed more comfortable.

" _Ah_ \- Josh, c'mere," Tyler pleaded, holding his arms out and then wrapping them around his neck when he came close enough. Josh crashed their lips together, his tongue licking all over Tyler's mouth, leaving the boy a shivering mess beneath him.

"Harder," Tyler breathed into Josh's mouth, causing him to groan.

Josh cursed lowly and thrust himself harder, and harder until Tyler brought a hand down to pump himself quickly, as he came with an arched back and a loud cry.

It was only a few more thrusts, before Josh came as well, filling Tyler up everything he had to offer. 

"Oh, fuck," Josh cursed as he worked himself through his orgasm, Tyler wanting to curl into himself at the oversensitivity. Josh pulled out, and laid himself down next to Tyler, not missing a beat before he pulled the boy closely and kissed him tenderly.

When they pulled apart, they gave each other a few seconds to breathe, simply looking into each other's eyes. 

Tyler's heart was still beating out of his chest, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he wished he could just lay here for forever.

Forever.

When he thought of Josh as a component to his forever, the term suddenly didn't seem as long. Maybe it wasn't long enough.

Josh placed a gentle hand on Tyler's, "You should help me box more often."

Tyler giggled, "Yeah, maybe."

There was a new world in Tyler's eyes - one he hoped Josh could see and identify.

Josh splayed a palm on the small lf Tyler's back, and kissed him on the nose.

"I'm gonna treat you right, Tyler. I promise."

Tyler bit his lip, "I know. I believe you."

It was soft, it was sweet, it was everything that Tyler never had in the city. 

And as Josh ran his hand up and down Tyler's ribcage, stopping to trace the prominant scar that rested there, he knew that his entire life had lead up to this.

It was a meaningful existence. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (this is what happens when you trip and fall on your keyboard. whoops)
> 
> Thank you all for reading. I greatly appreciate any and all comments :) stay safe, friends


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